Razorbacks planning for new athletic facilities

Credit: University of Arkansas
An artist's rendering shows a proposed academic center and dining hall for athletes on the University of Arkansas campus.

LITTLE ROCK  The University of Arkansas athletic department is moving forward with planning for three major construction projects: a basketball practice facility, a student-athlete success center and a baseball and track indoor training facility.

Director of Athletics Jeff Long called the additions "essential" to the future of the program.

"Our focus remains on providing student-athletes with the resources they need to win in the Southeastern Conference and nationally," Long said in a statement.

The department recently issued requests for qualifications for the design team and the construction manager for the three projects, a move that is necessary before the Board of Trustees can approve the work.

The projects will be funded by athletic revenue, gifts and bond proceeds, the statement said. No timeline has been established for construction.

The basketball practice facility, a 70,000-85,000 square foot facility planned to be built across from Bud Walton Arena, would cost $20 million to $25 million. The student-athlete success center is projected to cost $18 million to $23 million and the baseball and track facility would cost up to $9.625 million, the statement said.

Arkansas unveiled a master facilities plan for athletics last October that will cost more than $300 million to construct. Among them, a football operations center and new football practice fields are currently under construction at a cost of $40.35 million.

The practice fields are expected to be completed by the fall, while the operations center is scheduled to be finished next summer.